Manhunt for single suspect in Canton triple-homicide

Warrants have been issued for the arrest of Edward C. Martino III, 24, of 3203 26th St. SE in Canton. He is accused of killing three people outside a southwest-area bar early Wednesday morning.

Map: Overhead view of where the shootings took place

Photo gallery: The scene of Wednesday's triple homicide

Editorial: Can you help solve Canton's rash of killings?

Lori Monsewicz

The loud sounds jolted Vince Bressi from his sleep.

“It woke me up and I was ducking ... it was like 20 Jiffy Pop popcorns going off all at the same time. Pop-pop-pop-pop ...”

What he heard was gunfire that turned Wednesday into one of the most violent days in recent city history.

Three people died in a hail of bullets outside a neighborhood bar. A teenage girl riding in a car with them escaped uninjured.

By nightfall today, less than 18 hours after the shootings, police and federal agents had five felony warrants in hand for the arrest of the accused gunman.

Edward C. Martino III, 24, of 3203 26th St. SE, is wanted on three counts of aggravated murder and one count each of attempted aggravated murder and being a felon with a weapon, said detective Capt. Bruce Lawver.

Investigators haven’t said what prompted the violence.

Martino was alone in a red Dodge pickup truck when he shot at a silver car outside the White Crown Cafe at 2528 Ninth St. SW at least an hour after the bar closed, Lawver said.

Martino had been involved in a fight earlier inside the bar, investigators said. The victims were not part of that fight inside, detectives said tonight.

Martino still was being sought as of late tonight. The pickup truck has seven chrome strips on each side panel and no known license plate, Lawver said.

Stark County Court records show Martino was convicted in January of misdemeanor charges of assault and negligent assault. The charges were reduced from a felonious assault charge, court records said.

THE SCENE

Stunned neighbors watched as police, paramedics and a coroner’s investigator examined the bloody scene outside the White Crown. Dozens of yellow evidence markers dotted the street. The bar is less than 50 yards from Aultman Hospital’s parking deck.

One victim — a Canton mother of three young children — was slumped inside the car, her cell phone ringing incessantly, neighbors said. Another man lay in the street.

A third victim, Jonathon Pierce, of Alden Avenue SW in Canton, was pronounced dead at Aultman. Friends described him as Pinney’s boyfriend and Ruffin’s cousin.

Police said the 15-year-old girl who was with them, described by friends as a friend of Pinney’s, was turned over to her parents. Her name was not released.

Pierce and Ruffin were found outside the car shortly after police were called at 2:06 a.m.

BAR FIGHT

It was the second time in the early hours on Wednesday that police had been called to the street outside the White Crown, which bar manager Darryl Dennis said had closed early at 12:45 a.m.

Deputy Police Chief Thomas Ream of the Canton Police Department said a bar fight left everyone involved outside in the street where the fight continued. Police called to a “trouble” report dispersed the groups and sent them home.

Neighbors of the bar said some returned. It’s unclear if the shooting victims were involved or just happened to be in the area.

Ream said, “Multiple rounds were fired. Well over 20 rounds were fired at the location.”

He would not say whether shots were exchanged between vehicles or whether any weapons were found at the scene.

Later Wednesday night, it was business as usual at White Crown, where Bressi lives in an upstairs apartment. Bar customers buzzed about media coverage and the violence outside.

THE SEARCH IS ON

The investigation continued into Wednesday evening, as more than a dozen officers from Canton and the Stark County Sheriff’s Office — many armed in SWAT gear — searched a two-story home at 208 Mill St. SW. around 8 p.m. Police dogs and the FBI Fugitive Task Force contributed to the search of the residence and a detached garage on the property off Hale Avenue SW.

Lawver confirmed that they were looking for Martino. The home’s occupants were present, and Lawver said they were cooperating. Earlier in the day, police and federal agents searched another home on Henry Avenue SW, and several other undisclosed locations in the city, Lawver said.

VICTIMS REMEMBERED

Family members of all three victims said they did not yet wish to speak about their losses when reached by The Repository.

Friends of the victims shared memories of happier times.

“Everyone liked him,” Jessica Smith said about Ruffin. “He always kept a girlfriend, I’ll tell ya that.” Smith said Ruffin was in her science class at Perry High School. She described him as very athletic and that he played football for Perry High School.

Smith was also friends with Pinney, who has three children — an 11-year-old son and 8-year-old twins.

“She was outspoken,” Smith said. “She was cool. She was real good with my (two) kids. Eastertime, she gave me candy for the kids. We didn’t have a place to stay. And she loved her kids. Her kids were always happy when they were with her.”

Another friend, Amanda Oblinger, said she had introduced Pinney to Pierce. She said the two were a couple for the past few weeks.

On Tuesday night, Pierce and Pinney picked up Ruffin and, “they were just going to have a shot and come home,” she said, adding, “But Melissa don’t drink.”

Oblinger described Pierce as “funny, hilarious, a sweetheart... Jon had a heart of gold. So did Melissa.” She said he worked at Long John Silver’s, enjoyed his brother’s rap music CDs and enjoyed spending time with his young daughter and the child’s mother’s two other children.

“Jon was a family person,” Oblinger said.

Detectives and agents with the FBI Fugitive/Violent Crimes Task Force asked that anyone with information about the shooting or Martino’s whereabouts to call police at (330) 489-3144 or (330) 649-5800.